


The Empurress of Shadows

by suqua (wuhnona)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Edited 5/22/19, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Anders (Dragon Age), Happy Fenris (Dragon Age), Just Add Kittens, M/M, Making Out, Slice of Life, dog and cat relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 02:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17993417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wuhnona/pseuds/suqua
Summary: Anders stands Fenris up for a date, is comparable to a dog, and tells the worst jokes. Fenris breaks in and steals Anders' bed, is secretly a cat, and doesn't laugh at Anders' hilarious jokes.





	The Empurress of Shadows

When Fenris spots someone lying on the floor of the mages bedroom with feet poking out into the clinic-, his very blood goes cold. His hand goes for his sword, wary. His tattoos warmed as he prepars to light up when... 

Fenris _also_ hears snoring. 

 

He sighed. _Fool mage._

 

Fenris rolled his eyes. Crossing the clinic, he stands behind Anders who is deeply asleep on the floor of his bedroom with one arm stretched out toward his cot. His head was resting at an uncomfortable-looking angle on his other arm, fully dressed aside from bare feet. 

 

A small void sitting on the bed moves just enough to take Fenris’ attention. 

 

“ _Mew_ ,” calls the small, fluffy creature, bright green eyes staring him down. 

 

Fenris stares right back with his own green eyes and the tiny kitten slowly, eventually, blinks lazily at him. He returns the gesture. 

 

Removing his sword and the prickly bits of armor at the door, Fenris steps over the mage to sit cross-legged on the bed. The little kitten watches and waits until Fenris is sitting down, claiming his lap with one hop. It purrs and kneads his thigh while he absently scratches its cheek as it nodded off. 

 

Fenris looks back over, watches Anders sleep for a moment, imagining the mage trying to beckon the tiny bit of fur from beneath the bed and can't help a smirk. He leans against the wall behind him, settling in to relax. 

 

Anders woke soon after, the position and floor too uncomfortable for him to sleep much longer. 

 

Fenris knew Anders had woken from a low groan and the creak of joints, still awake though the kitten was not. It took a moment for the mage to look up and Anders startled, swore heavily. “Maker's breath, Fenris! You could've woken-” but he spotted the no-longer-snoozing kitten and gasped. “I was trying to get her out _all night_.”

 

“So, I take it _she_ is the reason you did not remember to meet me at the mansion after the clinic was closed?” Fenris asked with a level tone and blank expression, one eyebrow quirked up.

 

Anders went pink and his tongue knotted. “I, we were, right, uh-” he cleared his throat, looking sheepish. “I forgot and uh, I fell asleep.”

 

“I know,” Fenris said, stroking a hand over the small cat. "I'm not angry or upset, Anders." 

 

Anders looks at him with such open fondness , that Fenris' face warms a little. “She's cute, isn't she?” Anders asks, smiling a little despite still feeling like an ass. He lifted a hand, moving a little closer. The kitten watches him warily and stands as though about to bolt.

 

Anders’ face fell, hand staring to lower. 

 

Fenris reached out, touched his warm fingers against Anders’ hand- a slow, light caress. He took his hand back and let the kitten sniff until she calmed. Then he went back to take Anders’ hand, slowly holding it near her to let her smell him, too. 

 

The kitten seemed unsure for a few seconds before settling back down in Fenris' lap, a tiny, cozy loaf with closed eyes and soft purrs. 

 

“Are you secretly a cat?” Anders asked, leaning over a little more and stroking his thumb over the kitten's forehead before affectionately squeezing Fenris’ wrist and moving closer. He settled against the wall also, legs stretched out in front of him.

 

“Secretly? Perhaps not. No, the colony of cats taking over the closed off wing of my mansion has been visiting more often. I have observed how they resolve disputes, how they accept or deny new members when a strange cat approaches...”

 

“ _I'm_ a strange cat?”

 

“You do more closely resemble Hawke's mabari than a cat...”

 

Anders' eyebrows shot up, smile dropping to an open, mock incredulous gasp. “Are you comparing _me_ to a dumb-” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“-drooling, tail-chasing _dog_?” 

 

The kitten doesn't like hearing about 'dogs'. She hopped off of Fenris’ lap, suddenly interested in the armor by the door. She leaps from the bed onto the chair. She curls up, blending right in with Fenris' armor, and settled down for a little nap. 

 

Fenris goes from watching the kitten's journey, back to Anders. A smirk is tugging at his lip as he eyes the mage sideways. “I do not know about tail-chasing...” 

 

“Ah-ah! No! I _do not_ drool,” Anders said, trying to sound cross but the smile on his face betraying his amusement. He leaned over, nudging his shoulder into Fenris. “ _Except_ for those times I find you in my bed like this...”

 

Fenris’ lip curls. “ _Tail-chasing_.”

 

Anders is quick. “Only for yours, dear.”

 

“And when you catch it?” 

 

“ _I really think_ that _part should be obvious_ ,” Anders whispers, like he's interrupting their little play. 

 

Fenris shook his head, his hands lift and go to work- he begins with the lowest tied clasp of his own tunic, working slowly up to the top one at his collar. Shadowy dark skin slowly appeared, the very faint gleam of lyrium tattoos peeking through as well. 

 

By the time he's done with the clasps, Anders was a captive audience. Fenris grasps the tunic but as he's about to pull out one arm, he looks at Anders with an amused smirk. 

 

“ _Drooling_.”

 

Anders' hand flew up to his mouth and he found it dry. “I was not,” he said with some indignation. “Maker forbid I enjoy seeing my lover undressing, you handsome-”

 

“ _Dumb_ ,” Fenris says, tossing his tunic aside. 

 

Anders makes a little face at that one. “ _This_ is the worst pre-cuddle chat I've ever had,” he complained, shifting slightly to sit facing the head of the bed. He started unclasping and removing his own heavy clothing quickly and without finesse, like Fenris, just getting the job done. “You could say something nice-” 

 

“ _Loyal_ ,” Fenris interrupts, fingers sliding in to take over the task of undoing each clasp and button on the mage's cloak.

Anders goes quiet, cheeks starting to go pink. He had his hands loosely held around Fenris' thighs at either side of his lap and took a moment to just look up at Fenris. 

 

“ _Loving_ ,” Fenris says in a silky tone that makes Anders blush deepen more toward scarlet. 

 

Pushing the robe open, Fenris runs his hands over Anders’ shoulders before settling onto the mage's lap. With one wrist resting on the other behind Anders’ head, Fenris leans in and mouthes a few kisses on his jaw. Anders lets out a shaky breath, pulling his arms from his coat to rest on Fenris' thighs. 

 

Fenris speaks close to Anders’ ear. “ _Dangerous_ ,” he whispers, lips curving into a smile when he feels a shiver result and starts to press light, sticky kisses to Anders’ neck. 

 

There was a soft curse from Anders’ throat while Fenris was contemplating starting to nibble on the tender skin below Anders' ear, weighing the late hour to his sleep deprivation. He's nosing along Anders' neck when the mage pulled the elf into a tight hug. 

 

“I'm _so_ sorry I stood you up,” Anders blurts, face hot as he buries his nose in Fenris' neck. “And I'm so, so happy to see you. I'm so lucky and I love you, so much. ”

 

It wasn't the exact reaction Fenris expected--Anders often did things that surprised him, the first time he'd said such a thing, for example--but he smiled anyway. The earnest, kind-hearted and ridiculous mage stirs something in Fenris' heart and he felt giddy. He knew exactly what that feeling was. It made him feel lighter than air. Fenris started to _laugh_. 

 

The sight and sound of that throw Anders off, as that wasn't the reaction he had expected either. Granted, it wasn't the first time, either. He leaned back to stare at Fenris, memorizing the way his eyes crinkled a little when he laughed. The two moved together, Fenris leaning back as he caught his breath, Anders lowering his lover to the bed.

 

“Finally,” Anders murmured, eyes bright and smiling. He leaned forward over the elf, hands supporting himself at either side of Fenris' shoulders. “I've made you laugh more times than I can count with my fingers.”

 

“You will have to use your toes next,” says Fenris, raising his brows with a serious expression that quickly melts to an amused grin. He stroked his hand over Anders' hand next to his shoulder, loosely holding on to Anders' wrist. “I love you, too...foolish mage.”

 

Anders eyebrows rise, and he nods his head like he's made a decision. “Is that right? Well, I think I’m looking forward to every one of those next ten times, _Ser Mood Spoiler_. Maybe tell more of your favorite-- bad Circle jokes?”

 

Fenris groaned and shook his head, trying to sit up and was immediately pushed back down with light force. “No, no. Let me up. Clearly, I have made a-” he's unable to keep a smile from his voice as he squirms to escape, “-a mistake, I must.. I must leave, right now.”

 

Anders shakes his head deliberately, shifting his body and laying his weight down so that he is definitely pinning the elf down. Fenris protests, “Oh no, no, _no_ ,” but it is too late. 

 

Anders clears his throat and begins, “Three templar walk into a tavern-” 

 

Fenris just _burst_ out laughing, turning his head to laugh into the blanket. 

 

“I haven't even told it yet,” Anders says, eyes shining as he wets his lips and clears his throat again. “Three templar walk into-” 

 

“Fool mage, get _off_ of me,” Fenris demands, still smiling. 

 

“One second. Three templar-” 

 

Fenris groaned and his hands shot up to yank Anders down, kissing the terrible joke out of his mouth and burying his fingers into the mage's long hair and freeing it from the ponytail. His smile slips away as Anders begins to kiss him back, pace slowing down from initial frenzy to reverent, lingering kisses that made Fenris feel utterly cherished. 

 

The sweetness of the moment, along with the approaching dawn, gives the space a languid, sleepy feeling to it. They make out- slowly at first, breath and tongues mingling before one of them pressed a little closer. Then Fenris caught Anders’ lower lip between his teeth, teasing until the mage shuddered, Fenris' hands buried in his hair. Anders slotted a leg between the elf's, sucking on Fenris’ tongue until he gasped, back arched against the bed with Anders' hand supporting the curve of his spine. 

 

They caught their breath and Anders went up onto an elbow over Fenris again. He was grinning. “I can't believe it. I almost got halfway through. You almost let me, tell you a joke” Anders teases, knowing full well the opposite.

 

“Never,” corrects Fenris, laughter gone but a pleased smile remaining. 

 

Anders just looked at him, smiling, a moment before lowering again. He once again tightly holds the elf to him, nose to his neck. “I can't believe I nearly missed this, tonight,” he whispers, more to himself than Fenris. The elf warms, then Anders adds, “Remind me never to stand you up again.”

 

Fenris' cheek presses to the top of Anders’ head, eyes closing. “See that you don't.”

 

There's a few more words, the shuffle of blankets, and fall asleep each other's arms. 

 

A pair of tiny green eyes open. 

 

The kitten is quick and near invisible, climbing up the bed. She starts from the feet, considers swatting at the suspicious movement of toes. She continues, finding Anders’ hand in the air over Fenris' hip  She sniffs at it, it doesn't move so she rubs her face on it before moving on. 

 

She finds Fenris’ hair and sniffs at that too. A lyrium-lined hand finds her, giving a few scritches. She purrs and rubs against his hand before it withdraws. She makes tiny steps, climbing mountains of pillow around Fenris’ head.

 

Anders’ hair is carefully sniffed next and she looks around a moment before clumsily washing her face. She watches out for a moment, swats lightly at Anders’ ponytail. 

 

Eventually, she curled up on the pillow behind Anders’ neck and purred herself to sleep. 

 

In the morning, Anders names her The Empurress of Shadows. 

**Author's Note:**

> 5/22/19 - I edited this bad boy slightly after spending the last few weeks writing fervently I came back and stuff was Bothering Me! Thanks for reading!
> 
> wuhnona @ tumblr


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